Just Another
by Mrs. Flamer
Summary: AU. She was just another pretty face in everyone's eyes. He had never believed such nonsense. "Somehow, it doesn't seem like those are your real feelings." Before she could answer, Nagihiko had left.


**AN: **I'm never writing fluff like this again. Seriously…

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><p><strong>Just Another<strong>

She was just another pretty face in everyone's eyes. No more, no less. While her beauty was amongst top ranks, her personality seemed to be completely decayed. Almost predatorily, she glared at anyone who dared to come into her line of sight. One of the most popular rumors of her was that she acted floutingly towards everyone; even the teachers and the principal.

He had never believed such nonsense. There wasn't a reason for him to do so, as he had been witness to her actual demure personality. Her best friend was a real social butterfly, she was vivant and cute and no one could see a flaw in her at first glance (at least, that's what his friend Ikuto told him, he personally couldn't remember his first impression of her; they'd been friends since childhood), which is why it was hardly any shock for him to see the pink-haired girl alongside the so-called ice queen. What did depower the vague whispers of her being asocial, was her smile. If she'd truly disliked the company, she wouldn't have been grinning like that, nor would she be making pinky promises and saying, 'we'll be best friends – forever' in a childish (yet adorable) way to the other.

Nagihiko could barely contain his chuckles when his classmates talked behind the blonde's back. A part of him wanted to tell them that they contained no truth, but he had guessed long ago that the blonde actually liked the solitude she lived in.

"Hey, what're you dazing off about?" Nagihiko turned around to face Kuukai, who was smirking like mad. The brunet poked his arm, the glint in his eyes sly.

"So," he drawled out, enjoying the look on his friend's face, "who's the chick?"

Nagihiko's eyes slanted until they were only tiny slits, barely enough for him to see. He never liked it when Kuukai talked like that, even though it was just a characteristic of the other boy. He felt like the other was too careless in certain situations, which is why he wondered how the brunet got a wonderful girlfriend such as Utau. The blonde wasn't just a teen sensation; she was also a fiery girl with amazing looks. It was strange that she'd be able to put up with someone, well, like Kuukai.

"There's no 'chick', as you so _beautifully_ word." Nagihiko really did like his friend. He was goofy and constantly positive, which made him happy at times he shouldn't be, but sometimes the other acted over the top. Now was exactly such a moment.

Kuukai shrugged and ran to another desk, where one of his soccer mates sat. Their teacher should've arrived ages ago, but the woman apparently didn't deem them worthy enough to come on time. Nagihiko rubbed his temples softly as the decibels increased. He would've left the room to catch some fresh air, but there was no telling when the woman would come, and she wasn't exactly known to be gentle on her students.

"Fujisaki-san, are you alright?" Surprised, he looked up to see a nimble blonde. Now, that was a twist he hadn't been expecting. He nodded slowly, raking through his memory for evidence that she had already been in the class before that. Why would she talk to him, anyway? He took a small peak at her, trying his best to hide his eyes by leaning onto his right arm. She caught it and looked back; amazingly cold, at that.

She turned her head towards him and spoke, "I'm guessing that you're wondering why I was kind to you?"

"Not really… I was wondering why you were talking to me, though. You seem to like the silence that comes with the rumors," he said, analyzing her face with every syllable. Her stance didn't change; neither did the bland look in her eyes.

"I never said I liked it…" she mumbled, almost inaudibly, before talking a tad more loudly, "You didn't look as… stupid as those here. With their laughing…" The girl grumbled a bit, probably letting the rest of her sentence drown in the faint sounds she made, and the noise in the room. Nagihiko smiled at her reaction.

"Somehow, it doesn't seem like those are your real feelings." Before she could answer, Nagihiko had stood up to go to his friends, who had been calling him for a while. The blonde he left behind could feel the slightest ting of red on her face as the sentence echoed in her mind. She wished that Amu was there with her now; she always knew what to do or say.

The teacher came in moments later; her brown bag hanging on her elbow as she harshly dropped a huge pile of paper on the desk. She looked vexed as she dropped the bag on the ground, taking out some writing utensils and chalks that she'd need the upcoming lesson. Her voice boomed through the class as she yelled at them to be quiet and get seated. Rima rolled her eyes at the behavior of the teacher and stared at the woman's face for the complete lesson; hoping that it'd seem that she was listening to the gibberish she was teaching.

Moments before the bell would rang, the sound of maps and pens being tucked away opened up the chance for everyone to do the same. The teacher shrugged it off, not caring enough now that time was running out. Rima followed Nagihiko's movements as he picked up his bag as one of the first, a brunet friend of his (who was being obnoxiously gleeful) followed him while elaborating on some subject that didn't seem to interest the purple-haired boy.

Rima sighed as she rummaged through her bag, searching for her lunch. Normally, she'd go to the roof to eat with Amu, but some of her other friends asked if they could eat with her today. The conversation, and Amu's distress at Rima's refusal to eat with them all, vaguely replayed itself in her mind as she finally got what she needed. She didn't want to stay in the close-to-empty room, so she went for a walk.

When she passed Amu's class, she couldn't help but to look inside. Her eyes reached the person beside Amu, and he stared back with slight shock. It seemed that all of their encounters, even ones like this, would be like that. The boy excused himself and opened the door, just in time as Rima had already began to walk through the hallway to the right, which led to the courtyard.

"H-hey," he seemed slightly out of breath from the sudden exercise, "wouldn't you like to come in with us? You're friends with Amu, right?" He barely waited for her to answer, already dragging her along. She didn't do anything in return, actually liking the feeling of skin against skin.

"Here we are," Nagihiko said as he plopped down on his chair again. A girl who was sitting with them pulled a chair with her and placed it next to her, which was also next to Nagihiko. Rima sat down carefully, not sure what to do with all the strange faces staring at her. Amu's lips curled into a smile.

"Welcome back, Rima-chan."

No, Rima wasn't just another pretty face. Nagihiko knew that for sure now. He had a hunch that she glared at him once or twice for bringing her there, yet he had a feeling that she didn't mind too much. Her face might've been blank when she was alone, but it was bursting with emotions now. Amu glanced at him, and he grinned at her in return. They both saw the changes in Rima. She hadn't opened up completely, and it would take a long time for her to do so, but now she had others along her side.

Yaya, the girl who had taken a chair for Rima, introduced herself happily to the blonde, and soon everyone followed her example. It was only slight, but Rima was smiling.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Basically, this is a story that shows how Nagihiko could've become friends with Rima. There's no teasing or anything similar because this really is the first stage of their friendship, and Amu barely spends time with anyone but Rima outside of classes. I guess that I wanted to portray Amu as a protective person; she wanted to help Rima, but she didn't want to force her. Nagihiko cares, but he likes to take the initiative more. I guess that this is my interpretation of the characters if they wouldn't have been in the situation they were. This is just a normal middle or high school fic, after all.


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